After sitting empty for nearly four years, Brackett House is back in business as a bed and breakfast.
Crews have fixed up the 140-year-old home from top to bottom. That includes the plumbing, painting, bathrooms, bedrooms, furniture, flooring, and more.
The college will show off the building to the community during an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17.
“It’s just a beautiful asset that wasn’t being used and there were a lot of requests asking us to try to open it up,” said Cornell College Vice President for Business Affairs Kay Langseth. “I sat down and worked with a couple of people. We pulled all of the numbers together and decided we really could make it work if we were careful about how we remodeled.”
Once people step inside, they’ll notice a big change from the blue floral design that used to fill the four-bedroom home.
“Everybody that I talk with says ‘oh wow, this is so much nicer’ because from the designs of the late 1970s to today—it’s a drastic change in scenery here,” said Cornell College Facility Coordinator Assistant Cari Morgan.
Cornell has also hired two innkeepers who say this job will be a lot of fun.
“If it’s not fun I’m not going to do it,” said Innkeeper Ed Sauter with a laugh. “I think it would be fun to meet the people who come to town.”
Ed’s wife, Jan Sauter, is the second innkeeper. The two have actually eyed the management roles at Brackett House for decades.
“There was an ad in the Mount Vernon paper in 1975 or 1976 to run Brackett House as innkeepers,” Jan Sauter said. “We were new to the area, and I said, ‘oh that would be fun,’ so we were aware of Brackett House within the first few months of us coming to to the area. We didn’t take the job at that time, but it was one of the first things we looked at when we came to Mount Vernon.”
The public is welcome to make reservations at Brackett House throughout the year, and the college will also use it as it entertains guests.
Everyone who stays within the walls of the 1877 home will be part of a piece of history.
“The gentleman who built the house was William Brackett,” said Ed Sauter, who is also an architect. “He moved here from the East Coast hoping to make some money off the railroads, which had just crossed the Mississippi River. He and his wife lived in it with two daughters, and a third daughter was born here also. The house was a much simpler house when he built it. In 1912, however, Clara Brackett— one of the daughters of William Brackett—wanted it to be much more of an entertaining house. So, the beautiful porches were put on and the Colonial Revival style was imposed on it.”
The innkeepers say Brackett House will be a great experience for anyone looking to enjoy some downtime on any of the many porches or to have a place to stay while exploring Cornell College and Mount Vernon.
It took the college about six months to renovate Brackett House. Much of the work was completed by the college’s facilities team.
Reservations for a room at Brackett House can be made online at the Brackett House Bed and Breakfast website.